Last night the Boat House was much quieter than it was 5 weeks ago. The food there now is fine and if there are two of you as all mains are 2 for 1 it priced right, however if you are alone then its expensive for what it is. Needless to say we forgot to take a torch and came tripping home in the dark on the mooring rings.
Today boats were going by at 7 am and we set off at 9-30 am down to Braunston Marina to turn. A man was repairing the water tap at the services half way to the marina, I think he was expecting the leak to get worse as he had a Hi Vis waistcoat and Lifejacket on. When we returned to Braunston Junction we head north on the North Oxford canal as we were heading to Rugby Tesco to do some shopping.
I thought I would see if I could wind just before bridge 88 but I think I left it to late turning and didn’t quite make it. I didn’t want to turn round, I just wanted to see if I could and its the first time I have been there with no boats about. I didn’t get a chance for a second go as boats started appearing.
The bridge that WRG repaired has some battle scars now.
We stopped and bought 200 lt of diesel from The Canal Shop at 60p/lt to replenish what we had used on the Thames, it was 80p to £1 21 there. As we approached Hillmorton Locks the working boat Victoria came up behind us, so Diana set the lock and we waved him through. It must have saved him hours. The boat coming up the next lock only had one paddle up, came out of the lock on tick over and then stopped in the lock mouth and the bottom lock the boat stopped in the lock to reattach his fenders which he then had to make sure he didn’t snag coming out.
The only place we could find to moor in Rugby was where the old water point use to be, I am sure there were rings when the water-point was there, but they have gone now so it was a stake and one ring. We walked through the new retail park to get up to Tesco but its hard work crossing the road. coming back we used the path that leads from the back of Tesco to bridge 58 and then along the towpath to the boat. Once the shopping was loaded we cast off and went another half mile or so north to turn and retrace our steps.
Clifton Cruisers have a boat on the hard in their shed, I could only see the stern but the prop caught my eye, I enquired about it an its actually a steam boat, I have no idea which one. Remember this prop only turns at about 150 RPM max, mine does 600 rpm max and most modern boats will do 1200 RPM Max.
Today’s Journey Note the north bit where we went and came back.
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